Chevron Bulk Plant USA 1348

The Chevron Bulk Plant 1328 site (formerly known as Bowman Oil & Propane) is generally located at 1656 East J Street in Tacoma, in the Tacoma Tideflats.  It is in an industrial area, near the Tacoma Tarpits Superfund site.  Standard Oil Company (now Chevron U.S.A. Inc.) purchased the property around 1905 and used it as a bulk fuel plant until 1988.  Bulk fuel plants are facilities that receive and distribute petroleum products.  This facility had a number of above and below ground storage tanks, which held gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, aviation fuel, stove and furnace soils, and additives.
 
In 1984, Standard Oil Company found groundwater contamination, including petroleum hydrocarbons, and benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene, andxylene.  In the early 1990s, Chevron tried to clean up the groundwater, but, testing in 1992 still showed petroleum-related contamination in groundwater.  Soil testing in 1992 found additional contamination—lead and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. 
 
In 2001, Chevron removed around 58 tons of petroleum-contaminated soils and disposed of them off-site.  Chevron has tried several methods for clean up the remaining soils, but contamination is still above state cleanup levels.  They are now working on a new cleanup approach. 

Ecology wants to keep you involved!  You will have the chance to review and comment on key documents during the investigation and cleanup process.  Documents can be found at this website and at repository locations listed to the right.